Belgian PM says EU needs to connect to citizens

The 27 remaining European Union members are divided over how to deal with migration, a major issue in Britain’s vote last week.

After a summit with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron Tuesday, EU leaders appear to have resigned themselves that the task of triggering Article 50 of the EU Treaty, which sets out the exit process, will be left to a new government that won’t take office until after the summer. “We have to convince people through what we do”.

Following a two-day summit in Brussels, European Council president Donald Tusk told the United Kingdom it won’t be allowed “a la carte” entry to Europe’s trading area.

27 European leaders met in Brussels this week to discuss the Brexit vote, and European Commission president Donald Tusk said that the group had made it “crystal clear” that single market access requires acceptance of freedoms of movement of people.

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, said anyone wanting access to the EU’s internal market had to adhere to strict criteria “without exception”.

Mr Tusk insisted he and his fellow top eurocrat had given Mr Cameron a pre-referendum renegotiation deal that was “the maximum – more than maximum – of what was possible” within the terms of the European Union treaties and what member states could accept. The 27 leaders added a line to their summit statement at the last minute emphasizing that principle. He said there had been no immediate pressure to invoke the clause from other leaders.

He has previously said that it would be for the next Prime Minister, due to be in place by September 9, to do this.

“The banking sector in Italy and elsewhere in Europe will be protected in the best way as possible”, said Juncker.

There had been talk of the possibility of a second referendum, but this was dismissed by Merkel who said it was not the time for “wishful thinking”. “We all need to wake up and smell the coffee”, she said.

The outgoing premier also told reporters after a dinner meeting with his fellow European Union leaders that discussions had been “calm, constructive and purposeful” and there was “universal respect” for the UK’s decision despite a “tone of sadness and regret”.

On Tuesday, Dr Merkel said in the Bundestag she would not permit “cherry-picking” of European Union fundamental rights, including freedom on movement. “We have to act”, he added. Popular French far-right leader Marine Le Pen pressed unpopular President Francois Hollande in a weekend meeting for such a vote in France, but his government has rejected the idea.

The British prime minister reiterated the calls of other European leaders that it will be impossible to have the benefits of EU membership, without the costs.

Germany, France and Italy are the only three European Union countries other than Britain with more than 60 million people. He also warned against the bloc “pretending that nothing had happened”.

But Ms Merkel said it was not up to Mr Cameron to “cherry-pick” the terms of the negotiations and agreed with other European Union leaders that there would be no informal talks before Article 50 was triggered. The Lithuanian president, Dalia Grybauskaite, said Tuesday was about Cameron, but Wednesday “is about us, what we are going to do about our unity”. “Of course we will move on”.

“We agreed to step up work with African countries on returns of irregular migrants, and on measures that would stabilize the situation in Libya”, said Tusk.